Beginning of a conspiracy
by Har-El
Summary: Tommy finds his life unravelling and must fight to get it back


Disclaimers: I do not own Power Rangers, Nowhere man, First Wave or anything affiliated with any of the three shows. PR is the property of Saban Entertainment, First Wave is owned by Sci-Fi Channel, and UPN currently owns the rights to Nowhere Man.

Note from the author/Timeline: This is the beginning of a series that will mix Power Rangers (at first, just a few characters, but I'll most likely put in everybody, probably even Bulk and Skull, if just in cameo roles) with several aspects of TV series Nowhere man as well as a few from First Wave and the Fugitive, but doesn't take place in the continuity of any of those shows.

Beginning of a conspiracy

By Lucas Harrell

"All right, class, that's it for today," Tommy announced. He grinned when some of his students groaned, and watched as they reluctantly headed for the locker room his karate school had.

Tommy headed upstairs, to his apartment, and took a shower. As he was shutting off the water afterwards, he heard the front door opening. "Kim, is that you?" he called out, as he reached for his clothes and quickly changed.

"Yeah, it's me," his fiancee called back, "I thought you had class now. Didn't anybody show up?"

"Just about everybody did, but I had to cut it short," Tommy said, as he stepped out into their bedroom. "Jason called me earlier and asked me to meet him across town in about 15 minutes. I'm running a little late as it is."

"Well, tell Jase I said hi, will you?" Kim asked.

"You want to come with me?" Tommy asked.

"Sorry, but I've got to change quickly and go," Kim replied, "I've got a class of my own in about 10 minutes." Part of the school downstairs was also a gymnastics class for her to teach. "If you're late for meeting Jason, you'd better hurry. And don't forget that we're going over to the folks' house tonight. You promised me that you'd behave."

"Yes, ma'am," Tommy said, snapping off a smartass salute. Giving Kim a quick kiss, he then headed out of the apartment and the building they owned.

***

Tabitha Forbes rushed into the room. "Am I too late?" she asked.

"No, you just barely made it," Steven Takesh answered, "Please take your seat." Nodding, Tabitha did as he said. She looked around the room and saw that she was the last to arrive.

"What's on the agenda for today?" the member of the group known only as Emcee asked. Tabitha had very little contact with him, but it was obvious that he was the most enigmatic member of the council, even more so than it's head.

"The experiment we tried a few years back restarts today," Victor Hammerstein replied, "We've found the perfect subject. We've watched him for a while now, and we think that he will be able to survive to test."

"And if he doesn't?" This time, it was the oldest member of the council, known only as the Elder, who asked. He decided what was put to a vote and what wasn't. Samantha didn't like him. He had cold gray eyes and always had a dark, gloomy look on his face.

"He will be exterminated, and we will go on to one of our secondary subjects," Victor said, "But me and my assistants are confident that he will. We've put the necessary replacement dopplegangers in place and the originals are in storage.

"If you vote for the experiment to start, the dopplegangers will be told to go into action, denying that they ever even heard of our subject. He will be discredited and be hunted by the law, as per part of the experiment.

"If you vote against it, or just him, the dopplegangers will be taken back out and the originals will be replaced immediately, so that the subject won't suspect a thing, in case we decide to come back to him at a later time.

"But I would suggest going through with him if we're going through with it all," he said, nearing his conclusion. "We've put a lot of time and money into this, and I'd hate to see it wasted."

"Very well, we'll put it to a vote," the Elder said, "Those against?" Emcee, Steven, and Tabitha all raised their hands. "For?" Victor, Dustin Simmonds, and Alexander Ragely raised their hands. "A split vote, eh? Well, I vote for the experiment to be started. What's the name of the subject, Victor?"

"Tommy Oliver, from Angel Grove, California, sir," Victor replied.

"Then I wish luck to this Tommy Oliver," the Elder said, "He'll certainly need it. Is that all the business for today?" Everybody shook their heads. "Until next time, then." With that, he stood up and left.

Victor, Dustin, and Alexander all followed the Elder, but Tabitha stayed behind and signaled Steven and Emcee to do the same. "I'm not surprised you voted against this, Steven," she said, "But I'm surprised you did, Emcee."

"Yeah, why did you vote with us?" Steven agreed.

"Why I voted against the experiment is none of your business," Emcee said. He had a deep, booming voice, though he preferred to talk in a near whisper. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back home." With that, he left. Tabitha glanced at Steven, who shrugged. They then left after him.

***

Tommy walked up the restaurant he was meeting Jason Scott, his longtime best friend. He spotted Jason in a booth and walked to him. "Long time no see, old buddy," he said.

"You too, Tommy," Jason said. The two hugged, too close of friends for merely shaking hands. "So, when's the big day?"

"Kim and I haven't decided just yet," Tommy replied, "But you and Emily will be the first to know. Can't have a wedding without the best man, after all." They both laugh. "Sorry about keeping you, by the way."

"Don't worry about it, bro," Jason said, "I know you, so I haven't even ordered my main course yet."

They both laughed again. "Guess I deserve that," Tommy murmured.

"Bet your ass you do," Jason replied.

Tommy shook his head. They ordered their food. While waiting for it to get there, they talked about the upcoming wedding and other things. After several minutes, he decided to cut to the chase. "So, what did you call me here today for, Jase?" he asked.

"Oh, no special reason, really," Jason answered, "It's just that it's been ages since just the two of us got together, and I thought I'd call you. I was thinking that we could paint the town red, like the old days."

Tommy smiled. "I'd love to, bro," he said, "But I promised Kim that I'd go with her to her parents house tonight, and we might be staying there for a couple of days, or at least the night. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Jason said.

Their food came and they ate quickly. When they were done, Tommy glanced at his watch. "I'd better go, so that Kim and I can get to her folks' house in time," he said, "How about, when I come back, we do go paint the town red?"

"Nah, I wasn't really serious about that," Jason said, "Emily and Kim would kill us when they found out."

"Too true," Tommy said. He signaled for the check and the waiter brought it to them. Jason grabbed the check from the waiter. "I can get that."

"No, let me," Jason said. He took his wallet out, pulled out one of his credit cards, and handed both to the waiter, who left and came back a few minutes later with the receipt for him to sign. He signed it and put down a generous tip.

"Thank you, sirs, and have a good day," the waiter said, before ripping off the restaurant copy and leaving.

The two friends left the restaurant and went out to their cars. "Did you get a new car?" Tommy asked, noticing that Jason was driving a different car than he remembered his old friend having.

"No, this is a loaner, 'cause mine's in the shop," Jason said.

Tommy nodded. "Well, thanks for the food, bro," he said, "Next time, though, I've got the check."

"You got it, man," Jason said. The two hugged again. Tommy opened the door of his car and waved before driving off. When he did, Jason took a small cell phone out of his pocket, opened it, and hit speed dial.

"The subject's on his way home," Jason said, when somebody answered. "And now is the best time to start the experiment." He hit end, snapped the cell phone shut, and climbed into his car and drove off.

***

As Tommy got out of the car and headed for the building. He went upstairs to the apartment and unlocked and opened the door. He suddenly felt a cold chill, like something wasn't right. "Kim, I'm home," he called out. When Tommy didn't hear a reply, he knew that something had to be wrong.

Tommy rushed through the apartment, trying to find Kim. After several minutes, he found her in the bathroom. She was lying on the floor, face down in a pool of blood. "No!!!" he shouted, rushing to her.

Tommy gently turned her over, to find her throat slashed. He held her close and sobbed. Through his tears, he saw a knife not too far away, on the floor, and, not thinking, he reached out and picked it up.

Suddenly, Tommy heard the front door being kicked in. Cops rushed into the apartment and went directly to the bathroom, where he was still holding Kim. "Put down the knife and move away from the body, sir!!!" one young cop commanded.

"This isn't what it looks like," Tommy said, as he did as he was told. "This woman is my fiancee. I just came in a few minutes ago to find her like this. You can check with Terrence and Regalia Realtors."

"We'll do that, after we take you in," the cop said, "Now, please stand up, face the wall, and put your hands behind your head. If you are innocent, we'll clear all of this up downtown."

Tommy reluctantly did as the young cop said. He was handcuffed and read his Miranda rights before being led down to a patrol car in front of the building. "Mind if I ask a question?" he inquired, as the young cop and his partner got into front.

"Go ahead," the cop said.

"I just got to my apartment and found my fiancee like that and wasn't able to call 911 because I was too grief stricken," Tommy explained, "So how did you know to be there?"

"We got an anonymous call from somebody jogging near the building," the cop replied, "They said that they saw a suspicious man lockpicking his way into the building. He said that he thought we should check it out."

Tommy was quiet for a moment. "Is there any way I can hear the tape of that call later?" he asked.

"I'll look into it," the cop promised. He then got on the radio and told his people that he needed a coroner at Tommy's building.

The rest of the drive down to the station was quiet. Tears continued to flow down Tommy's cheeks as he tried to make sense out of this. 'I can't believe she's dead,' he thought, 'Just when we were seriously discussing the wedding day. And now, I might be charged with her murder.'

It didn't take them long to get to the station. Once there, the cops got out and pulled Tommy out as well. They took him inside and went through the standard booking procedures, before taking him to an interrogation room.

"Are you sure you don't want a lawyer?" the young cop, Officer Darren Mankez, asked, as the two took their seats. His partner, Vincent Shroom, was gone.

"I'm sure," Tommy said, "I don't have anything to hide. Are you going to get the call to 911 for me to listen to?"

"My partner is looking into that as we speak," Darren replied, "So, tell me what happened?"

"There's not much to tell," Tommy said, "About an hour ago, I left the building to meet an old friend of mine at a restaurant we used to frequent. When I came back, about twenty minutes ago, I found my fiancee in the bathroom with her throat slashed. Then you came in a few minutes later. Her name's Kimberly Hart, by the way."

Darren nodded. "Do you know if your fiancee had any enemies that would want her dead?" he asked.

Tommy shook his head. "Everybody loved Kim," he said, and grinned. "Not as much as me of course, but I doubt anybody would want to even hurt, much less kill, her."

"Have you and your fiancee had any fights lately?" Darren asked.

"A few arguments, as have all couples, but nothing really bad," Tommy said, "Now level with me. What do you think's going to happen?"

"In all honesty, it doesn't look good for you," Darren said, "You were found at the scene of the crime, holding the probable murder weapon no less."

"I know, but check the time of death," Tommy said, "I was probably with my friend Jason at the Cafe Judan downtown. You can check with him, as well as anybody that works at the cafe. They know me."

"We'll do that," Darren said. Just then, his partner came in, holding a tape recorder. "Anything new?"

"Well, we checked with the reality company whose name he gave us," his partner explained, "And they checked their records, but they say that the only name on the deed is the deceased, Kimberly Hart."

"Yeah, I was out of town when Kim bought the building a little while back, and I haven't had the chance to go and sign it since then," Tommy explained. He gestured to the tape recording. "Is that the 911 call?"

The cop nodded and quickly set up the tape recorder. A second later, Tommy was surprised to hear Jason's voice. "I'd like to report a possible crime," his best friend said, in an almost emotionless tone. He proceeded to give directions to the building.

"And did you see anybody near this building that made you suspicious?" the 911 operator asked.

"I saw a man that looked to be in his mid-twenties, about 6 feet tall, and with long brown hair enter the building," Jason said, "I suggest you have a patrol car check it out, because I think I saw a glint of metal, like a knife or something."

"We'll check it out right away, sir," the operator said, "Sir?" Jason had hung up by then.

"This doesn't make sense," Tommy muttered, "That was Jason."

"Your friend?" Darren asked. Tommy nodded. "Well, I don't know about that, but the description he gave sure sounds like you."

"I can clear this up," Tommy said, "Just let me call Jason and have him come down. I have one phone call now that I've been booked, right?"

"Yeah, you do," Darren said. Him, his partner, and Tommy got up and left the room. They went to a desk and sat down.

Tommy picked up the phone on the desk and punched in Jason's phone number. A second later, someone picked up. "Hello?" someone asked.

"Hi, Em, it's Tommy," Tommy said.

"Who?" Emily asked.

"Tommy Oliver," Tommy replied, "You know, I was Jason's best man at your wedding. Speaking of Jase, is he there?"

"Yes, he's right here," Emily answered.

There were muffled sounds for a moment, then Jason picked up. "Hello?" he asked.

"Hey, Jase," Tommy said, "Listen, I'm in a bit of a bind..."

"Who's this?" Jason asked.

"Ha ha, very funny, Jason," Tommy said, "It's Tommy. You know your best friend since childhood? I'm down at the police station, and I need you to come down and clear a few things up for me."

"Look, I don't know who you are, so I'm afraid I can't help you," Jason said.

"Quit joking, man," Tommy said.

"I'm not joking," Jason said, "Goodbye." With that, he hung up.

Tommy looked bewildered as he placed the phone back on the receiver. "This can't be happening," he murmured, closing his eyes. He opened them again and looked up at Darren. "He said that he didn't know who I was."

Darren sighed. "This is looking bad for you," he said, echoing his statement from earlier. "Without a confirmed alibi, you're right back as our number one suspect."

"This is crazy," Tommy said.

"Well, we're going to have to take you down to holding now that you've made your phone call," Darren's partner said, "It's the rules." Tommy nodded and stood up, allowing the two cops took him from the desk area and led him to the stairs going down to the holding cells.

When they got to the stairs, Darren suddenly pulled out his revolver and shot his partner. Tommy jumped back. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked.

"No, it's more like what the hell are you doing," Darren replied. He pulled out his walkie talkie. "Somebody please help!!! A madman got loose and shot my partner." He turned it off and looked at Tommy. "You'd better go."

"Why are you doing this?" Tommy asked, "Why am I being framed?"

"That's for me to know, and for you not to find out," Darren said, "All I'll tell you is that life as you know it is gone, and you must find a new one or die. I'll give you a choice: Either run down the stairs and through the back door..." He pointed his gun at Tommy. "Or I kill you now."

Tommy hesitated for only a moment, before rushing past Darren and running down the steps. He heard a few shots go way off. 'He must be doing that for show,' he realized. Not wanting to take his chances, he doubled his speed. He quickly got to the bottom and headed out the door there.

***

"See you later, Em," Jason said to Emily, as she walked to the car. She waved as she was heading down the driveway and he closed the door. But when he turned, he found an enraged Tommy glaring at him. "Who are you?"

"Cut the crap, Jason," Tommy growled, "Why are you doing this?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jason said. He started heading for a nearby phone. "I'll call the police if you don't leave now."

Tommy suddenly pulled a gun from behind his back. He had gone back to building and grabbed what he could from the apartment. He was just barely able to escape before the cops got there.

"Don't even think about it, bub," Tommy said, "Now drop the act and start telling me the truth, or I swear I will blow your brains out."

"All right, all right, put down the gun," Jason said.

Tommy slowly lowered the gun. "Now, tell me what's going on, Jase," he said.

"I'm not Jason Lee Scott," Jason said, "I was surgically altered to look like your old friend a few months ago."

"Who else has been exchanged like this?" Tommy asked.

"Just about everybody that has meaning in your life," 'Jason' said, "Except for Kim. We couldn't find anybody that could fake the love your fiancee felt for you, so we couldn't replace her."

"Why are you doing this?" Tommy demanded.

"It's an experiment," Jason explained, "To see how having their lives turned upside down can do to the average person. The cops will probably look here first, so you'd better go. Try to lead a life somewhere else. Maybe one of these days, we'll let you have one."

Tommy lowered the gun again. "I should kill you where you stand," he muttered, "But I can't."

"You mean because I look so much like your friend," 'Jason' said.

"No, because I want you to give a message to your superiors," Tommy said, "I will find a way to stop this experiment, even if I have to kill all of you bastards to do so, I will have my life back.

"Somehow, I will find a way to hunt you all down," Tommy warned, "And then, you'll have some inkling of how my life will now be. So be ready, because there's no turning back from here on out. It's just you and me." With that, he put the gun in a holster and shouldered his way past 'Jason'.

***

As Tommy rushed down the steps of the porch, he stopped long enough to grab a large duffel bag that was hidden in the bushes. 'All I have left is my memories and what's in this bag,' he mused. He looked out into the sunset as he walked down the road, trying to reign in his emotions.

'I don't know who's doing this to me, but I will find them,' Tommy silently decided, 'It might take a few weeks, or it might take a few years, but I will have my life back, or some semblance of it, and I will make the bastards that did this to me pay, and pay dearly.'

To be continued...

Next time, on Power Rangers: Nowhere to run

Tommy tries to adapt to life constantly on the road, but finds his past starting to catch up with him, as he runs into an old love interest, who asks him for help. With everything that's happened to him, can he trust her enough to help her? Or is she just another plant by the Council? Be here next time to find out.


End file.
